"Objects of the Empire"

-
Shankar was dozing off.

The train screeched to a halt at a tiny station. The PA system informed us that we had reached Balham.

A family with three young kids got on and took the seats opposite us.

Shankar stared at them with disapproval. He had stuffed himself with rice and sambhar, and was happily nodding off in accordance with the Madrasi custom until this family with three very young kids showed up.

The mother yelled at the youngest one to take his mouth off the window sill. The father was continuing a 'guess-what-I-thought-of' game with the older kids.

"Is it an animal?"

"No, it's not."

"Is it a bird?"

"Nope. Try again."

"Is it food, daddy?"

"Yes"

"Curry!"

Shankar burst out laughing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tea and/or coffee

-
Image
It had been a busy day, and I was making myself a cup of coffee. I got a call from work, and while speaking about some economic whatchamacallit, extracted a teabag from the cupboard and dropped it in my cup of coffee. Disaster? I was aghast. The idea of tea and coffee? *Puke* I was listening to the Real Food podcast (strongly recommend) earlier this morning, and discovered that in Mumbai a mix of tea and coffee in a 3:1 ratio was sold under the name of ‘market’. I'm not sure if 'market' is still being sold. The name has interesting origins too. It started when someone ordered chai but “coffee maarke” (with a dash of coffee). ‘Maarke’ soon evolved into ‘market’. The concept of a mix of tea and coffee is not unique to Mumbai. In Hong Kong, milky-tea and coffee, in a 7:3 ratio, is served under the name of Yuanyang. The name, which refers to mandarin ducks, is a symbol of conjugal love in Chinese culture. In China, at least, mixing tea and coffee isn’t as ghast...
Read more

Cast in a Shadow

-
"Don't tell me to go home alone!"~Waters The cherry blossoms were dripping wet in the rain. London, bleak as it were, was trying to wash off the fresh colours on the trees. This evening, it was refreshingly strong, unlike the usual spineless fare that the clouds dished out. I sat on a bench by the river, fascinated by the puddles; the big ones growing bigger, and the small ones vanishing. The pub behind me seemed warm and inviting. I wasn't alone in the cold. A pair of birds seemed to be taking in the impressive view of the cathedral and the bridges. Their silhouttes were confused in the disturbed light from the other side. The rain beat upon its subjects with renewed vigour. He seemed to be looking around, and she appeared apprehensive. With a mighty resolve, he looked straight into her eyes and a few words were spoken. She walked around him slowly, talking. He stepped back from her. She walked away. The rain was now intolerably wet. Home, I decided, would...
Read more

'Sweet Thames Flow Softly'

-
"I met my girl at Woolwich Pier Beneath the big cranes standing And oh, the love I felt for her It passed all understanding" Her hair brushed my face. The perfume was sweet and poignant; nostalgic and refreshingly new. "Took her sailing on the river Flow sweet river, flow London town was mine to give her Sweet Thames flow softly" We had tea from the shack outside College. We drank in the sweet warm liquid and we drank in the view of College. Both spread warmth. I took her hand in mine. My hands were always warmer. "Made the Thames into a crown Flow sweet river, flow Made a brooch of Silver town Sweet Thames flow softly" It was a pity she wasn't around while I ran for her. I couldn't tell her that I was running for her. At the finish line, I realized I hadn't run for her. Instead, I had run for the father and daughter who were now alone, the man in the wheelchair who was now alone, and I ran for the leprechaun who was now al...
Read more